An
Iraqi Kurdish detainee who came to the UK after living as a refugee in Germany
during the first Gulf War, said that the Palestinian was around 25 years old
and that he climbed onto the roof in protest at being detained for eighteen
months.

The Iraqi Kurd said that the
Palestinian had recently been unsuccessful in a bail application and that he
had been on hunger strike for a couple of days. He said that two or three
detainees tried to help each other climb up to the roof, but that the
Palestinian was the only one who managed to climb onto the roof.

He described how there
were a lot of detainees standing outside watching and shouting and that some of
them refused to go back to their rooms. “The detention centre was out of
control for a while, but eventually people started going back to their rooms.”

“People are generally
angry with the UK Border Agency
(UKBA), they are fed up with the removal policy.” The Iraqi Kurd said that the
detention guards asked the Palestinian to come down from the roof but he
threatened to jump off every time they came near.

“He wants to kill
himself now, if anybody comes near he wants to jump. He’s standing on the roof
and he wants to jump soon, if anyone comes near him” The Iraqi Kurd, who has been in
Morton Hall for two months, said he helped to translate for the Palestinian a
couple of times.

He expressed
shock at the things he had seen since being at Morton Hall Immigration centre:

England is a country that says it believes in human
rights, but not in this detention centre. They need help somehow, all the
cases I have seen, some really sad stories, people who are here for no reason,
they haven’t committed any crimes, they are in detention for nothing.

He believes that this
is the beginning of a revolt in the detention centre, “There will be more, I
can see how people are reacting to the situation, there is tension amongst the
groups who have been here for a long time.”

Having lived in the UK
for twelve years, The Iraqi Kurd claims that after he was given temporary leave to
remain, the UKBA delayed granting him indefinite leave to remain for five years
and then detained him.

“They are trying to
deport me to Iraq, even though I spent my childhood growing up as a European.” The Iraqi Kurd fled Iraq with his family during the first Gulf War, when the Kurdish
population suffered an 'ethnic cleansing' campaign by Saddam Hussein's regime.
He arrived in Germany with his family when he was ten years old. He is now
waiting for a response from the European Court of Human Rights, and hopes to be
able to return to Germany.

The Iraqi Kurd believes that
the Palestinian is not the only detainee who will revolt. He said there are ten
or fifteen detainees currently on hunger strike and that one has tried to kill
himself through self harm. “Something is going to happen soon, because there is
no help from outside at all and if we ask for help the guards say it is not
their problem.”

The Palestinian will
stay there all night and he will eventually jump and there are others like him,
there are over one hundred of them who want to do something like this

The identities of the detainees have been
withheld for their protection.

About Me

I am a Multimedia Web Journalist, enthusiastic rock climber, lover of nature and all things cultural.
My particular interest is human rights and community issues.
I have developed a local website www.sheffieldunchained.co.uk about independent people, places and organisations in Sheffield.
I have also created a website www.unheardvoices.org.uk: Unheard Voices aims firstly to give a voice to asylum seekers and refugees by telling their stories through film, audio and images. Allowing readers to see them as real people, with real experiences. Unheard Voices aims secondly to take an honest look at the facts, issues and statistics. Allowing readers to make an informed judgement on the issues surrounding asylum in the UK.
I also write for the Guardian, Guardian Northerner and Culture Vulture website amongst other publications.